


Faithless

by HollowK



Category: Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24943723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowK/pseuds/HollowK
Summary: Episode 4:Faith AUSix years after the failed Heist in Humboldt County, Sean Diaz wakes up in a hospital in Northern California, missing an eye and his younger brother. After months of rehabilitation he goes on a journey to find Daniel.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 31





	1. Awakening

Sean Diaz is in the middle of the Redwood forest in Humboldt County. He breathes in the fresh breeze amidst the trees, the sunlight tenderly touching his skin. 

“Hey, Sean, we should play and hide and seek!” He hears his brother’s voice, Daniel’s voice, but he is not sure where it’s coming from.

“Where are you, Daniel?” he asks laughing, going from tree to tree trying to find the boy.

“Come find me, Sean!” he hears, in a playful little boy’s voice.

Sean starts to lose his cool, he can’t seem to find where the voice is coming from.

“Come find me, Sean!” the voice echoes through the woods, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. His tone is not as playful as before.

“Daniel!” Sean yells, but hears only the echoes of his own voice in response.

Deeper and deeper he goes into the woods, yelling his brothers name.

Until he finally finds him, standing in the middle of the lake where they used to train.

One final time he hears Daniel say “Come find me, Sean”. Quietly, almost a whisper, a sad plea for help. And then he sinks, his whole body engulfed by the dark waters.

“Daniel, no!” Sean yells, waking up from his nightmare. It takes him a couple of moments to ease his breath, make sense of his surroundings. The morning light comes in through the windows, lighting the cold hospital room. He’s not in Humboldt County anymore. Another _fucking_ nightmare taking Daniel away from him. They always leave Sean with a fog in his mind, a loss of his sense of direction. 

The confusion is a pain in the ass, but it’s just another one of the pains that Sean learned to live with since waking up from the coma. Almost six years. He couldn’t believe he had been out for that long at first, just like he couldn’t recognize the stranger that looked back at him in the mirror. A pale memory of the old Sean, now the one-eyed ghost of a boy that died in a weed farm in California a long time ago. When he first woke up he was just skin and bones, weak and frail, from years of lying unconscious on a bed. Everyday he could feel himself getting stronger, even if just a little.

As he sits up in bed, the door opens. It’s Joey, the nurse that has been taking care of him for the all these years. It’s weird thinking that Joey knows Sean for so long, while Sean met him not even three months ago. 

“Good morning, sunshine, how are you doing today?” he asks, bringing a tray with his breakfast to the bed. It looks like an amorphous goop and it’s kind of tasteless, but it’s great to be eating solid food again. The liquid diet for the first few weeks was the worst.

“Better than yesterday, I guess,” Sean replies with a strain on his voice. Two months later and his throat is still sore when he talks.

“One day at a time is good enough. Not a lot of people come out of a coma like yours. You are a real fighter, you know that?” Joey has been one of the only good things in his life since he woke up. His positive attitude has helped Sean get through the worst parts of his rehabilitation. And it’s nice to have someone who doesn’t look at him with pity.

“Thanks man, I really mean it.”

Joey smiles at him, as he takes a look at his clipboard. “So it seems like you are doing great in physiotherapy, huh?”

“Oh yeah I’ll be back in the track team in no time,” Sean jokes, both of them knowing that isn’t even close to the truth. But he has definitely come a long way from not even being able to go to the bathroom without help.

“Always the smartass. Time for your eye check. How’s your vision? Any headaches recently?” He takes his flashlight and tests Sean’s response.

“Still feels weird, but it doesn’t really hurt anymore,” he says as he does his best to follow the test. The better he does, the sooner he is getting out of here.

“Yeah, that’ll take some time to get used to, but it’s looking good so far.” He makes a couple of notes in the clipboard.

Joey notices some drawings on Sean’s bedside table. “These are looking a lot better too, huh?”

“Pfft, right. Might as well be drawing them with my mouth.”

“Well, I can’t draw anything even close to that, and that’s with two good eyes, I’ll tell you that much.” They both exchange smiles. “Anyways, if you keep your recovery at this pace, you will be cleared in a couple of weeks, but keep in mind that you will need to keep doing therapy for quite sometime after that.”

“That’s great to hear. Can’t wait to experience the world as a free man  _ and  _ an adult when I’m out of here.” Sean was almost thankful for the coma, at least on that. They couldn’t have him stand trial as long as he was in the coma, but even now that he was awake, the case against him was weak, given how long it had been without any conclusive evidence or reliable witnesses.

“Any big plans for after you leave? Besides partying like there’s no tomorrow, of course,” Joey asks, helping Sean with his daily exercise routine.

“There’s a lot that I want to do, really. But the second I’m out of here I’m going to find Daniel,” Sean says with a determination in his voice that wasn’t there before.

Joey goes quiet, his usual smile fading for a moment. “Look, Sean, I know it’s a lot to make sense of since you woke up. The eye, the time you lost, all of that. But the cops have been looking for your brother for years, man. I don’t mean to be rude to you, but…you should focus on your future, not on your past.”

“They don’t know him like I do, Joey. As soon as I’m out of this hospital I won’t stop until I find Daniel. I won’t give up like everybody else.” Sean knows that Joey means well, but it still feels like a stab in the back to hear people talking about Daniel like he is…  _ gone. _

“Okay, man. I’m not gonna try to dissuade you from that. At least not right now. I have other patients to look out for. You take care,ok?.”

As he is about to leave, he stops at the door. “Oh, before I forget, thank your grandma for the cookies she gave me last time, in case I don’t see her this afternoon. My girlfriend is still talking about those little pieces of heaven.”

Sean can’t help but laugh at the comment. “I will, man, no worries”

After Joey leaves, Sean picks up his sketchbook from the table in the corner. The doctors said it would help his memory to go through his entries, even though they dismissed the mentions of Daniel’s power as escapism.

Some of the entries he can remember as clear as the day they happened, but some memories were fading, as if the ink from the pages had been drained. Reading the first pages seem like they were written by someone else. His life in Seattle is so far away now. He still can’t believe all that he went through, even the things that he remembers well. But the wolf brothers are survivors. No matter what happened, they always had each other. That’s how it was supposed to be at least. 

But the one entry that Sean went back to, time and time again wasn’t written or drawn by him. It was written in a different ink, and Sean is sure that it wasn’t there when he first drew the picture of Daniel sleeping.

SEAN

I borrowed a blanket and

a few other things from your

tent. Will give them back to you

when you come looking for your

Superwolf comic... it's waiting for you.

Jake

That message gives him hope. At some point, Jacob took Daniel to Nevada. He could still be there for all Sean knew, and that is enough. If he can get there, he’ll know where to start, and maybe,  _ just maybe _ life won’t throw another rock at Sean. Just this once.

#####

Other than Joey, Claire and Stephen’s visits were one of the only good thing about his time in the hospital. The day they visited after he finally woke up was one hell of a punch in the gut. Last time he saw them, Sean had left their home in Beaver Creek to run from the cops. Claire told Sean of how they visited him during his coma, how the cops looked for Daniel and that they never managed to find them, even with their help. The years were tough for them too, Sean figured. Having their grandsons appear in their life unexpectedly, and then lose one of them and have another in a coma for years must have been hard for both of them.

Every visit Claire would tell Sean of how she never lost faith, and how much she prayed that God would bring him back to them, and sure enough, her prayers were answered. And every time it took all of his willpower to not roll his eyes at his grandmother. But he did that for her, just like the prayer with Daniel during their first night in Beaver Creek.

Whenever Sean asked for news about Daniel however, he could feel they were hiding something, just like that letter from Karen all those years back. Until now, Sean played their game, focusing on getting better and being finally cleared from the hospital. And if Joey is right, he could be out in a couple of weeks. He knows he is going to have to be blunt with them if he wants the truth, but he still dreaded the confrontation he could not avoid.

Sean is drawing by the window, still trying to make his weakened hand muscles get the lines right, when they enter the room, Claire putting a big basket of food at the table on the corner of the room, before hugging him tightly. Stephen’s hug is still a little awkward to both of them, but he can still feel the affection of his grandfather. Sean offers them chairs, while he sits on the bed, but Stephen prefers to stand. Something about being sitting in the car too long during their drives there.

He notices that Claire is fidgeting with her hands, as she makes the usual questions about his recovery. Stephen seems nervous too. Sean can tell they have something they want to talk about, something important. Are they going to finally come clean on what they know about Daniel? Did they have any news? Sean’s mind was racing with what could make both of his grandparents so anxious.

He pretends to pay attention to one of Stephen’s stories from his days as chief of the fire department when Claire interrupts. “I’m sorry Stephen, as much as I know Sean loves hearing your stories, I can’t wait much more for this.” She addresses Sean directly. “Sean, your grandfather and I have been talking for a while now, and... we want you to come live with us, in Beaver Creek, after you are released from the hospital.”

“I thought we were waiting until the end of the visit Claire, give the kid some time to think about it.”

“We’re all adults here Stephen. Let’s hear what Sean has to say.”

It’s not about Daniel afterall. Sean has heard that offer before. In his dreams, time and time again, and he always answered yes. A home. Family. Security. Love. Sean missed all of those things for so long now. But there’s one crucial thing missing that he won’t find in Beaver Creek, no matter how hard he looks for it there.

“I’m really grateful for everything you guys did for me. I really am. I can’t imagine what the last years must have been like to you, and I can never repay all that you’ve done for me.” Sean can’t help but notice the tears in Claire’s eyes. “But I can’t go with you. Daniel is still out there somewhere, and he needs me. I’m not trying to hurt you, I swear. But I can tell that you both know more than you have been letting on, so please I need you to be honest with me. What do you know about Daniel?”

“Sean… We’ve been looking for him for years now, and we still haven’t given up hope, but you need to move on.” She takes off her glasses and wipes the tears from her face. “We all need to move on. Do you know how much we’ve spent on trying to find him? How much of Stephen’s retirement has gone to taking care of you? We’re trying to give you a fresh start, away from all of this, so you can get back on your feet. What do you think you can do to find him now, that no one did these all these years?”

His mind goes to the note that Jacob left for him, six years ago. Haven Point, Nevada. That has to be something. And even if Claire is right, Sean can’t just settle down. Not until he is sure that Daniel is safe.

Before he can respond to Claire, Stephen interjects, trying to defuse the situation. “We understand how you feel Sean. Believe me, no one wants to have Daniel back with us more than we do, but we need to be realistic here.” He puts his hand on Claire’s shoulder. “Without Daniel, you are the only family we have left, Sean. We love you, and we just want what’s best for you.”

“I know you do… but this is something that I  _ need _ to do. I can’t move on with my life not knowing where Daniel is, or what happened to him... I need that.”

Stephen sighs deeply, as Claire fails to hide her disappointment. This is not the answer they wanted, but it’s one they knew was possible. Claire stands from her chair and sits next to him on the bed. “We won’t be able to change your mind, the same as we weren’t able to change Karen’s.” She holds his pale hand against hers. It’s warm. “I had a lot of time to think of my mistakes, and I promised that I wouldn’t repeat them with you if I got the chance. And if God brought you back for this, then we will not be the rock in your path.”

“Thank you. I think I know where I can start looking for him.” He takes his sketchbook and opens it perfectly on the right page, as he done dozens of times by now. “Here, this guy, Jacob. Daniel and I met him when we were in Humboldt County, and he left me a note.” He hands them the sketchbook. Claire looks at the note with a puzzled look on her face. “He has- or at least he had Daniel with him, in a place called Haven Point in Nevada. That’s where I need to start looking for him.

Claire gasps, and exchanges looks with Stephen. With sadness she says “Sean, I wish you would have shown this to us sooner… about two months after you went into your coma, we got a call from the police. They had found evidence that your brother was in this place, but they couldn’t find him afterwards. I am so sorry.”

Sean soaks in what he just heard.  _ So he’s not there anymore. _ The words hit him like a kick to the stomach. That was his only lead, but now he had nothing…

“But that’s not all,” Stephen says, as Claire looks away from Sean. “There was another reason the cops had called us. Turns out Daniel wasn’t the only one there… they had also found Karen.”

  
  



	2. Sand and Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean's time at the hospital comes to an end, as his journey to find Daniel finally begins.

The last two weeks go by in a drag for Sean. With Claire and Stephen on his side, the only thing keeping him from going after Daniel is his recovery. He gives everything he has in rehabilitation. And finally, he is getting cleared.

Sean lies awake in bed. The excitement is too great, as if he was a six-year old on the night before Christmas. Besides, he had slept enough already. Six years worth of sleep in fact. Tomorrow, he will finally put this chapter in his life behind him. Tomorrow, he will go find Daniel.

When Joey comes by the room, Sean is already up, stretching by the window.

“Good morning, early bird. Big plans for today?” Joey asks, with a smile on his face.

Sean turns to him, with an even bigger smile. “Nah, just didn’t want to be late for the jello.”

Joey laughs. “I bet you’ll miss the jello more than you’ll miss me, huh?”

“I won’t lie to you, it was the one thing that kept me going,” Sean says, with a theatrical expression of drama.

“Good thing we are in a hospital, because I am deeply hurt. Time for the final test before we clear you. Ready?”

“Absolutely.”

Sean follows to the letter every instruction that Joey gives him. This is the most important test of his life, and he is going to ace it. 

“Okay, follow the light with your eye.”

It’s almost funny how his worries from his life back in Seattle seem childish after everything he went through. 

“Big breath in, hold and then exhale.” 

Math homework, parties, track, his stupid job at Z-Mart, babysitting Daniel.

“Blood pressure looking pretty good too.”

Life was so much simpler back then. His problems were so much simpler.

“Well I guess this is it, Mr. Diaz. You are officially no longer my patient.” Joey finishes the tests and gives Sean the papers, with _PATIENT CLEARED_ written in big red letters at the bottom of the page.

“Finally!” Sean exhales in relief.

“Your hard work paid off, Sean. I’m proud of you.”

“So I guess this is it, then.”

“Well, I’m not very good at goodbyes. Let’s just get this out of the way, so I can look tough when your grandparents arrive.” Joey puts his hand on Sean’s shoulder. “You are a good man, Sean. I still can’t believe half the shit you and your brother went through. I really hope you find what you’re looking for, but even more I hope you can find peace.” He pulls Sean into a hug. “Take care, Sean.”

“Thank you, Joey. I will never forget all you did for me.” They let go, and Sean can see Joey wipe his eyes.

There’s a knock on the door and Claire and Stephen come in.

“Hello, hope we’re not interrupting anything” Stephen says. 

“Nope, just finished signing on Sean’s release form” Joey responds.

“Oh, that’s good news! Joey, I want to thank you for all you’ve done for Sean. I know it’s not much, but I heard how much you liked my cookies, so I made you these.” Claire gives Joey a box with several cookies inside.

“I was just doing my job, Mrs. Reynolds. But I can’t say no to these.” Joey accepts the box with a laugh. “Your grandson is a lucky man to have you looking out for him.” He shakes hands with Stephen, and before he leaves he turns to Sean. “I left a package for you on the table over there. Arrived last night, just in time.”

“Thanks, Joey. See you around”

Sean notices a backpack that Stephen put next to his bed. “Is that for me?”

Claire is the one that answers “We wouldn’t let you travel around with that old one, would we? I did put your patches and keychains in this one though, I’m sure they had some sentimental value.”

The shark tooth necklace that Mushroom found on the beach, the retro Power Bear pin from the abandoned house, Cassidy’s guitar pick. All the souvenirs from his travels were there.

“Thanks, Claire. It’s great.” 

“There’s some new clothes for you in the there too. Hope you like them.”

“After wearing nothing but hospital clothes for six years? I’m sure I’ll love them.”

Sean takes the clothes and the package Joey left him to the bathroom. The clothes that Claire got him were nice, he could tell she put an effort into finding something that was to his liking. He changes into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with a simple wolf geometric design. _Wonder what Claire did to my hoodie._

He looks over the to the small package he put in the sink, and opens it. The glass eye he had fitted a couple of weeks ago was in there, a solid white color. Sean removes the hospital patch he worn since he woke up from the coma, and carefully puts the prosthetic in his eye socket. It feels a little weird at first, but Joey said it would help with his mental recovery as well. He looks actually kind of cool. This will at least give him some street cred.

“Oh, the eye suits you nicely, Sean” Claire compliments him when he leaves the bathroom.

“Thanks, Claire” Sean responds, blushing a little. _Not like she would say if it looked bad, anyway._

“So, you ready to go?” Stephen asks.

Sean gives one last look around the room, his whole world for the past six years.

“Yes, I am,” he answers.

###

The three of them go out for lunch, a small celebration that Claire and Stephen insisted on doing, and Sean goes along, to keep them happy. 

The restaurant they choose is cozy, small italian restaurant. Probably a family business. Living in Beaver Creek, Claire and Stephen were not much into big chains or fancy restaurants. They pick a table by the window, with the slow traffic from a calm street going by. Claire and Stephen sit side by side, and Sean slides into the chair across from them. 

Claire makes her order very quickly, but Stephen looks over the menu several times, before deciding on the same order as hers.

“This is why we never go out, you know,” Claire says, annoyed.

“Well, what can I say? I’d rather eat at home, where I know that every meal is delicious,” Stephen responds, putting his hand on top of hers.

Claire blushes a little and gives a soft laugh. “Always sweet talking your way out of trouble.”

Sean has missed this so much. The meals at the Reynolds’ home back in Beaver Creek, the playful banter Stephen and Claire had going on. _The Gingerbread House,_ Sean called it once, like it was something out of a fairy tale. It didn’t last very long, but the four of them really felt like a family. _And now they were down to three._

Sean orders the cheapest meal they have, spaghetti with meatballs, not wanting to be a bigger burden than he already was on them, but Stephen objects and bumps him up to a fancier meal. 

“This is your first meal that’s not hospital food, Sean, you should get something special. Don’t worry about the money, it’s our treat.”

Claire and Stephen both get a chicken pesto, that looks delicious, while Sean gets a big plate of lasagna. It’s the best lasagna that he remembers eating in his entire life. Back at the hospital the jello was the thing with the most taste, and before that he was eating grub made by hippies in the woods. Now it was a festival of cheeses and sauce in his mouth.

But it’s being in their company that really makes it special to Sean. The way Claire covers her mouth, and tells Stephen to not talk so loudly. The way she laughs at all of his jokes. The way he looks at her when she talks. The way the both of them show Sean that they care about him.

After lunch, they head to the bus station. The bus that will take him to Nevada is already waiting for Sean at the platform when they arrive.

“Here’s your ticket. We also got you a phone, it’s already on your bag. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s enough to keep us in contact. Call us when you get to the motel,” Claire says, as if going through a checklist. All the worry makes Sean feel like the day Esteban dropped him for the first day of kindergarten.

Stephen takes out a small envelope from his coat. “This should last you at least a couple of weeks, with enough to get you back to Beaver Creek, when you are… done.”

Sean can’t help but notice that there isn’t enough for _two tickets_ to Beaver Creek, but doesn’t say anything.

He hugs them both. “I can’t thank you enough. I’ll see you both soon.” Through tears, they say their goodbyes.

He walks to the bus, but just as he is about to enter, he hears Claire voice.

“Sean, wait! I almost forgot!” She hurries in his direction, taking something out of her purse. A toy. A chibi Power Bear figure, Sean recognizes from a lifetime ago. 

“When the police gave us your things, I found this and I kept it with me, promising to give it back to Daniel when he returned... but he never did.” Claire says, a lone tear on her face.

She puts the Power Bear in Sean’s hands, and gently closes them around the toy. “I know you think we gave up hope, but we have faith in you. Please bring Daniel back to us.”

Sean hugs his grandmother again, tighter than before, and says, “I promise. I’ll bring Daniel back.”

As the bus leaves the station, Sean waves at his grandparents, and his journey to find his brother begins.

###

Sean wakes up from a dream, the details of it rapidly escaping his mind. He was on the road, but he was the one driving. He had both eyes. And Dad was there. They were on a road trip, and they were talking. What did they talk about? Sean couldn’t remember the conversation. But he felt…at peace. He wipes a single tear from his face, that he didn’t realize was there before.

He looked out the window of the bus. Nothing but the road and the desert, just like in his dream. According to the map on his phone, he should be there in a couple of hours. He knew he wouldn’t find Daniel the moment he got there, but each mile made him feel a little closer to finding his brother. He takes the Power Bear from his pocket, feeling the weight in his hand. _Just a little longer Daniel, the wolf brothers will be together again. I promise you._

Sean drops off in the middle of nowhere. This is the closest stop to his destination, but he still needs to walk a couple of miles before he gets there. With the first step under the hot sun, he can already feel the pressure on his muscles. 

Walking around the hospital was one thing, but walking for this long in the middle of the desert was on another level of discomfort. _For Daniel._ That’s how he made it past the first uneasy steps when he was learning how to walk again. Daniel was his motivation, every time it felt impossible, every time it was too difficult to keep trying.

And one step at a time, with a couple of stops along the way to drink water and massage his muscles, like Joey taught him to do, he’s finally made it. Stephen and Claire didn’t really see why Sean wanted to start there, but Sean needed to see for himself. 

Time has not been kind to it, but this is certainly it. Haven Point, the place that Jacob brought Daniel to six years ago. In ruins, with clear signs of the fire that destroyed the place. Sean knew that the place had burned down already from what Claire and Stephen had told him, but seeing it with his own eyes hit him differently than seeing the pictures of the incident online. None of the articles made any mention of Daniel’s name, but they all were very clear of Karen’s part in what happened here. The one person in the world that can help him find Daniel is the last person Sean actually wants to talk to.

Sean finds a spot to sit on the side of the road, pulls his sketchbook from the backpack and starts to draw the remains of what once was once the Universal Uprising Church, trying to take his mind from the turmoil of thinking of _her_. He finds a certain beauty to the image of the ruins, certainly more than he would have found if the church was still standing. He was never religious in the first place, but the amount of shit that was thrown at him and his brother only made him certain that there was no God. It was better than the alternative: a God that had it out against him and his family.

His mind takes him to Claire, so attached to her faith, who prayed everyday for Sean’s recovery and for Daniel’s return. She truly believed that Sean’s awakening was a miracle, an act of God. If there actually was a God, he had a really fucked up sense of humor.

The drawing doesn’t come half as bad as Sean expected. His improvement has been slow since he regained consciousness, but he was definitely getting better. His first attempts looked like if a chimp had been given a pen, but by now he had built back his confidence on his skills as an artist. Even when he had nothing, he had his art. It was one of the things that kept him sane during the time he was on the run. It was like having a part of himself back.

“That’s a really good drawing there, son.”

Sean is surprised by a strange man, late forties by his looks, standing right next to him, looking into his sketchbook.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to creep on you,” he says, giving Sean his personal space back. “It’s just nice seeing someone else coming to pay their respects. It was a real tragedy what happened here” 

“Oh, uh, sure. No problem. I just didn’t see you coming.” Not only was Sean focused on the drawing, but he still had a big blindspot on his left side. He needed to be careful from now on. “Were you here when it happened?”

“No, I had left the church after some disagreements a few months before the fire. But I still have a lot of good memories about this place. You knew anyone here?

 _Jacob._ “A friend… he used to come a long time ago too.”

“This place was home to many good people. But now it’s just memories in the desert dust.”

They both stare into the ruins for a moment, Sean picturing what it must have been like before.

“Well, if you don’t mind me saying I don’t see any car around here, besides my pickup. You shouldn’t walk in the desert like this, so let me offer you a ride.”

Sean thinks for a while before answering. When he was on the run he didn’t know who to trust. He certainly met his fill of assholes. But there were also some amazing people that helped him and Daniel. Brody, Finn, Cassidy, Chris. The kindness of strangers saved them so many times.

“There’s a motel not far from here. I would really appreciate it if you could drop me there, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all, it will be nice to have someone to talk to, besides myself.” He gives Sean a kind smile. “I’m Jonah, by the way,” he says, extending his hand to Sean.

“I’m Sean. Nice to meet you.” Sean responds, shaking his hand.

The ride with Jonah feels like a first class trip after Sean’s walk in the desert. His pickup is far from new, but it has a certain personality to it. His musical taste isn’t anywhere near compatible with Sean’s, but he doesn't mind. He can barely hear the cheesy country songs playing over the Jonah voice. At first, he asks a couple of questions of Sean, but seems to pick up that he is not much of a sharer. Then he starts talking about how he came to be in Haven Point.

“I was in a low point in my life. I lost my family in a car accident. My wife and daughter were everything to me. I felt… lost. Things got ugly after that,” Jonah says with sorrow. “Depression, alcoholism, the whole nine yards. I felt like I was in a dark pit, all alone.”

“So what did you do?” Sean asks, sincerely. Even when he lost his dad, he still had Daniel. He wouldn’t have known what to do if he was by himself. As hard as it was having to take care of Daniel, he made things easier too.

“I was saved, really. I was brought here to Haven Point, and they gave me a fresh start. I found faith, community, hope for the future. They helped me get sober, and eventually I made peace with the past.”

Sean listens respectfully. Even if he doesn’t share Jonah’s faith, he can feel in the way he talks how grateful he is for it. 

“I was in a good place for a while. But things started to change around Haven Point. It didn’t feel the same anymore. People that I considered family turned their back on me when they heard my doubts. They said that I had lost my faith, lost my way. So I ended up leaving. That’s when I hit the road. I started visiting the places I had always wanted to with my wife and daughter, but that we ended up never going.”

Sean sees pictures, postcards, and souvenirs from all over the country spread around the car. Jonah’s road trip put Sean’s to shame.

“When I left Haven Point, I felt like I was betraying my faith. But then I found God again. And He is everywhere, Sean. The trees, the sky, the animals, even in this desert. People look for proof in supernatural miracles, but if you ask me, everyday that we get to experience _life?_ That’s enough of a miracle right there.”

Jonah is being a little too preachy for Sean’s taste, like Claire was back in Beaver Creek. Should he be grateful that he _experienced_ life on the run? Oh, what a miracle it was to sleep under bridges and dumpster dive or steal for food. Sure there was some good stuff in the middle of the shit, like his grandparents, the drifters, the time in the abandoned house, but the good things didn’t make the shit smell any better.

“When I heard about the fire, I was devastated. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without Haven Point, even after I left, this place was still a part of me. Now I try to pass by every once in a while, and remember the good things.”

That Sean can understand. Even after all that happened there, he still wants to back to Seattle. It would never be just a place where shitty things happened, it is _home_.

In the distance, he sees the neon sign for the Sand Snake motel, and he takes out his wallet, but Jonah stops him before he can take any money out. “I’m not an Uber, son. You needed a ride and I gave you one. Doing the right thing is its own reward.”

“Thank you so much, Jonah. You are a real lifesaver.” He opens his door, and leaves the car with his backpack. “Take care.”

“You too, Sean.”

Being dropped off at a motel by a talkative man on the road felt like a _deja-vu_. Brody saved their lives back then, and Sean will forever be grateful for what he did. Sean read most of the posts on his blog while he was at the hospital, some of them making reference to the brothers, but Sean didn’t have the guts to reach out to him yet. Not without the brother he promised to look after.

At reception he gets the key to a simple room, number 12. He can feel the woman’s stare at his glass eye, just for a second, but it’s enough to make him uncomfortable. At least he’s not going around with an eyepatch, like a pirate without a ship.

It’s a modest room at best, but at least it’s cozy. A single queen sized bed, a bedside table, a couple of tacky paintings on the walls, a TV, and in the back, the door to the bathroom. He puts his backpack against the wall, and heads for a shower. He hates the way the desert dust and the sweat have mixed over his skin.

The shower is an oasis in the middle of the desert. He stays below the shower with his eyes closed for a long time, letting the water wash over him.

After the shower, he wipes the steam off the bathroom mirror. He is still getting to know the man in there, but they are no longer strangers. The lines of his skull, so pronounced when he first woke up from the coma, have almost faded from his face. His skin isn’t as pale as before either. _You don’t look as shitty anymore, dude._ But the eye still bothers him. _They still don’t have rehab to make an eye grow back, though._

He thinks about shaving the stubble that has started to grow on his face, but decides to leave it. It makes him actually _feel_ older. Makes him _feel_ twenty two, not sixteen, as his mind so stubbornly says he should be.

_I should call Claire and Stephen_. The chances of finding anything in the ruins of Haven Point that could lead him to Daniel were too close to zero, but Sean had to try anyway. He had hoped to have good news to give them. He sits on the bed with his phone, dials the number and waits.

“Hello, Sean, it's good to hear from you” he hears Claire’s voice.

“Hi, I made it to the motel. Didn’t find anything at the church...” Sean says, lying down and staring at the ceiling. 

“Well, we knew that was probably going to happen.” She goes quiet for a while. “So tomorrow you are going to...“ Sean knows exactly what she means.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” _Not like I have much of a choice really._ “Just called to let you know I’m okay. It’s getting late and I should get some rest. Goodnight Claire.”

“Goodnight, Sean. And good luck.”

After the phone call, he looks at the map again.

Nevada Correctional Facility for Women, 11 miles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> Thank you so much for the kind words on the first chapter! I'm really excited to share this fanfic with you. Chapter 2 was challenging in a lot of ways, but I'm satisfied with the way it came out.  
> Shout out to darkjaden825698 for all the help with the editing and tips!
> 
> Hope you are enjoying it so far, and see you next chapter.


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